NL West

Now Commenting On:

Fairest of them all? Roenicke still wonders

Email

Print

By AJ Cassavell
/
MLB.com |

SAN DIEGO -- Petco Park's ground rules were pushed to the limit on Monday night with Carlos Gomez's fourth-inning foul ball. A day later, whether Gomez's moonshot hit fair or foul was still on the mind of Brewers manager Ron Roenicke.

With the Brewers leading, 5-0, Gomez crushed a 1-0 slider from Padres right-hander Jason Marquis down the left-field line, toward the Western Metal Supply Co. building.

Incidentally, the edge of that building also serves as the Petco Park foul pole. The fair side has a painted yellow stripe, and the foul side is simply brick red.

The ball caromed left, meaning it physically could not have hit the yellow stripe, making it fair. Still, without knowledge of the park's ground rules, replays showed what appeared to be a ball that was too close to call either way.

Roenicke was informed of those rules in his pregame meeting with the umpires, but had a hard time comprehending them when he went out to ask for a review.

"I heard him say it to me, I looked out there, and I couldn't quite understand what they were saying," Roenicke said.

Before Tuesday's game, Roenicke spoke with San Diego manager Bud Black, who told him he had never seen a ball that close. But the ground rules clearly state that the carom of the ball is used as the fair/foul indicator. That's why no review was necessary.

The only exception would have been had the ball had hit precisely on the corner of the building. So, does Roenicke think that could have happened?

"My eyes aren't that good," he quipped.

AJ Cassavell is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @ajcassavell. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.